


Again

by Grassilk



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Edward Elric Swears, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-05-02 02:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19189666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grassilk/pseuds/Grassilk
Summary: Ten years have passed since the last battle with the homunculi on the Promised Day. Since his return from his journey to the west, Edward Elric filled his days by helping Winry in her automail workshop and carrying out his own alchemy research. Meanwhile in West City, strange ancient ruins revealed. Amestris's government summoned alchemists and researchers from many countries to study this discoveries. As one of the researchers involved, Ed uncovered the mystery he had encountered in Creta during his journey years ago. Now it's up to him and his new friends to face the inevitable and stop the oncoming evil.





	1. Prologue

‘Nice’ was the first word that came to his mind as he walked silently. Dim blue light illuminated the floor in front of him through the large windows on his left. He could hear the screeching of owls hunting on its prey outside, and listening to the sound itself sent a chill running down his spine. He couldn’t help it. There was literally no sound beside that. An eerie night to have a couple of missing people on his mind and a big group of terrorist on his tail. Well, not that they knew who’s _him_ , thought.

Still, Edward cursed anyone who built a factory in the middle of a _fricking_ forest like this. Isolated, far from the settlement, and not a single light illuminated other than the moonlight. He regretted that he had cut off the main powerhouse, when he knew that bad luck love to say ‘hello’ in such precarious situation. Without any other means of lighting, he could only rely on the sharpness of his eyes. Otherwise, he was sure he would not be able to walk down the aisles of this factory.

Heh, typical of criminal headquarters.

If he has never met Homunculus and its super creepy family, he would have made a perfect villain’s bingo.

Fake priest? Piece of cake. Corruption in the lower branch of the government? Easy peasy. Homunculus? Punched it in the face bare handed. If he still has his alchemy now, maybe this building has exploded since 1 hour ago.

Unfortunately, life has never given him anything without an equal sacrifice. So, here he is, crawling between corridors trying to find his target which like finding needles in a haystack. Sighed, he checked his watch. A cheap pocket watch that he bought in the slum of a dilapidated shop to save himself from being late to take on the next train (He swore to replace it with a better one when he left Creta).

An hour before midnight and before the party started.

Just great.

He condemned the damned map in his left hand, stared at it hard enough that it could burn under his gaze. Ha, like it would show him any invisible line or shapes that resemble a secret room. He has checked almost all places in this factory, but there were no trace of those missing people. Really, is there another secret room that was not in the building's blueprint? Hell, he had been checking every possible hidden door, even checking behind dusty self and random paintings hanging on the walls.

Oh, for the love of… He wanted to blow up the gas pipe when he heard footsteps approached from the next corridor. He quickly pried the closest doors and entered the first unlocked one. Without a sound, he closed the door slowly while his ears tried to catch any conversation from the people that walking outside.

“Power failure, right when our schedule is crowded”

“I still think that this is someone's job”

“Please, not you too. We already have too much paranoid as a boss. If everyone is paranoid, this factory will never run”

“Better be prepared than sorry”

... oookaaayyy. Seems like important employee.

From their footsteps, he could guess there were two people. Three at most. Edward backed away and hid behind rows of shelves in the corner of the room as their steps drew closer. He was sure he would not be seen in the dark. Not long after he positioned himself, the door opened showing two people carrying lanterns. They entered the room and placed several documents on the table along with the lamplights.

“Think boss will need these data before the trial starts?”

“Ha, he doesn't even understand most of the symbols he uses. I don’t even know how he will do it without the knowledge first. I know he is good in alchemy but that doesn’t mean he can do any transmutation without the knowledge first”

“Well, as long as the experiment done he won't care about it”

Edward was stunned. Okay, not that stunned. But trial...? Without a second though he slowly approached them. Within seconds they were already lying on the floor, unconscious. Edward took the document they had brought and spread it on the table. Dozens of diagrams, symbols, and transmutation circles were written on those sheets of paper. With just a glance, memories surfaced in his mind.

 

… _it contains pure knowledge_ …

… _equivalent exchange, don’t you?_

… _what gives all people the potential_ …

 

… _Holy shit_ , they want to duplicate the _Gate of Truth?_

Edward flipped through the paper, trying to ascertain what he had expected. List of missing people, theories, hypothesis… All of it related to each other. On the last sheet, he found a blue print of secrets room hidden in the building. The shape was, once again, one and the same as the circle that Homunculus used at Amestris. What a coincidence, right?

Son of a bitch…

All of this… Just for what? Doesn't everyone have their own gate? Is it to gain infinite knowledge? More power-ups? Or another infinite trash bin like Gluttony? This is so stupid. They didn’t even realize the flaws in their theories and transmutation circles. This isn’t going to work and there would be many casualties as the result. Rephrase, _innocent_ and _young_ casualties. His mind racing with possibilities. He knew the only quickest and safest way was to destroy the circle at its center. After minutes that felt like hours, he made his decision. He collected all the documents and put them in a pocket in his coat. Good thing Winry managed to modify his brown coat before he left for Aerugo. He found a pile of spare cloth and not-so-worn-out rope in the corner of the room and he used it to tie two unconscious men lying on the floor.

He must do it fast. He didn't have much time until they started the trial, which he guessed right at midnight. He believes that all of his targets must be in the trial room, along with dozens of idiots who thought that making a duplicate of the Gate of Truth is a good idea. He had diverted a lot of attention to the powerhouse he had damaged, but still, they won’t let the trial room unguarded. He sighed, now certain that he could not return to his inn with only minor injury.

 

He could only hope to collect all those missing people before midnight and not get any scratch on his automail in the process…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a native in English, and my grammar is still a lot of mess. This is my first time writing FMA and the first one I ever posted on ao3. I'm new to this so please excuse any errors. Still haven't found a beta for this story.


	2. Ruins in The West

Usually, when he woke up in the morning on the weekend—on the first day when the last snow stopped falling at the end of winter—the first thing he did was get up and laze in the kitchen waiting for Winry to prepare his breakfast. After that he would start exercising and walk out, enjoying the last day of winter in Resembool (Well, snow is a rare occurrence in Resembool). In fact, he might even visit his burned house for the sake of old memories.

However, today didn't seem to be one of that day.

"EEEDDD!!! Your breakfast is ready!" Winry shouted from the ground floor.

"I'll be down there in a minute!!!!” Edward shouted back, hoping his voice reached the kitchen where he was sure Winry was.

Edward put all the files left on his worktable.

"Wallet, journals, pocket watch, documents, tickets..."

He paced around the room, checking all his equipment. Some items and books were scattered on his bed. Items piled up here and there, things he didn't carry and other unused things. He tossed clean change of clothes he found in the cupboard into his suitcase

Yup, without alchemy, he couldn’t just buy and makes clothes from cloth on the road.

And seeing how his daily activities went and gone, well, he needed more than just a pair of shirts.

He took several journal books that he hadn't read and put them in the suitcase while buttoning his vest. Dark brown vest over a plain white shirt has replaced his old red cloak and black shirt as his trademark. And ironically (not that he would admit it) very similar to how his father dressed.

_‘Okay, that’s all. Make sure you bring everything because you don't want to go back and forth to Resembool’_

After making sure everything was packed inside, Edward closed his suitcase and took his travel suit. He locked his cupboard and went down to the kitchen.

A warm sandwich has already served on the plate with a glass of fresh orange juice on its side. Where Winry got the ingredients to make the juice, Ed would never know. Winry was busy checking her tools that she will bring to Rush Valley.

"Have you checked all your things?" Winry asked, putting some of her favorite wrenches into the tool box.

"I'm not a child. Everything had already packed in the suitcase," Ed knocked his suitcase.

"Yeah, yeah. You always say that and I always have to be the one delivering your goods whenever you forgot to bring something," Winry said while checking her own suitcase.

Edward snorted, "Come on, Win. So far, I've only forgot 3 times,"

"Still, Ed. Resembool-Central-Rush Valley trip is not a short one and _definitely_ not a cheap one. Al is not here to remind you of all the things you have to bring. I’m not an alchemist maniac like you. Who knows which items you consider important or which one you will need?” Winry retorted.

Ed rolled his eyes, grumbled while chewing on his sandwich. His idle hand grabbed the newspaper lying on the table.

There was nothing new this week, only a few headlines about the Alchemist meeting in Central which will be held in the next 2 days and further ruins excavation which has been started months ago (which until now, nothing had been found besides ancient transmutation circles). The ruins itself were thought to be the lost-underground-city of refugees from Aerugo and travelers from Xerxes.

Edward glanced at the invitation letter tucked in his travel suit pocket.

_~Three months ago_

_Edward was busy helping Winry checking on things in the warehouse. It was one of her busy days in her own workshop and he hadn’t taken a rest since the day started. Winter is lighter in Rush Valley than in Resembool, yet many automail users have started to replace their automail since the white season arrived._

_Usually, both he and Winry stayed at home, helping Granny Pinako until spring came. But this winter her workshop was flooded with dozens of her customer. Pinacko insisted that he went with Winry and_ *cough* _spent more time with her. So after a long argument, he agreed with the old hag and visited her workshop a week before winter came._ _He expected that, once he arrived, he will devote at least a week of holiday with Winry._

_It turned out; he became a worker at her workplace._

_A forced one, to be exact._

_He sighed. He knew there were no holidays for people in Rush Valley but he didn’t expect that there would be_ dozens _of customer. After ensuring himself that nothing was lacking in the warehouse, he returned to the workshop. The cold were already settled outside, made him shiver. He was used with such weather, but the first snow in winter always has a thing with his automail. At the entrance of the workshop, he saw Winry standing near the telephone, having a conversation with someone. The phone’s receiver jammed on her ear._

_"I'll give the phone to Ed." said Winry when she saw Ed coming closer._

_Edward moved his mouth silently._

_'Who?'_

_‘Doctor Marcoh,‘  Winry mouthed the name._

_Edward took the receiver from Winry._

_"Hello, Dr. Marcoh? This is Ed."_

_"Hello, Edward Elric. It’s been a while. I haven't heard anything from you since your wedding last year. How are you?" He could hear the man’s warm voice on the line._

_"Great. Just that my activities both in Resembool and Rush Valley are quite busy lately. What's up? It’s not usual for you to call directly to this number."_

_"Ah, yes. I have something to tell you. Have you heard about the discovery of ancient ruins in Wellesley?"_

_"... Yes. Not much, but I heard that there’s a lot of foreign transmutation circles reported to be found there. I thought it was only a rumor,” he answered._

_"Okay. Looks like we can jump right to the topic. That’s not a rumor. We did find many transmutation circles in there. Fuhrer Grumman ordered me and several research teams to visit the site. Major General Mustang was present to give his piece of mind during his visit to West City.”_

_"So, what did that Colonel bastard said? Did he found something interesting?" He muttered, vaguely heard Winry shouted ‘Your language, Ed!’ From the front door. He only replied by rolled his eyes._

_"As I said, he is Major General now. And indeed, he found something that worried him. He gave an instruction to halt the research there until it was safe enough for further inspection. He talked to me personally about the research, how and when we planned to begin the research, and who will be authorized there," he explained._

_After a few seconds of pause, he continued, “He didn’t tell me what he found in that ruin. At the end of the meeting, all he said to me was that I will need a helping hand in this matter and—after your marriage—you were not that busy in Rush Valley”_

_Edward fell silent._

_"Even if I’m dealing with philosopher stone, my knowledge and experience are limited in this research. Besides, do you remember that ‘thing’ you asked me a few years ago? The one you saw in Creta? I'm sure you can find something useful in this research" Marcoh said, reminding him about his journey years ago._

_"Then? What are you planning to do? You know how Mustang works. He will never straightforwardly ask anything in his ‘super-secret’ charade, and it’s not like Mustang will just frankly assign me to look for a mere strange ruin when he has dozens of State Alchemist under his command. I’m no longer his subordinate, even if he still called me Fullmetal. That bastard…" he gritted his teeth._

_“Patient is virtue, Edward Elric. I haven't said all my messages to you. After holding a meeting with his right-hand man, Grumman decided to conduct a closed research. He assigned State Alchemists from all over Amestris and invited several researchers from other countries that we cooperated with. I’m one of the team assigned there.”_

_"And your purpose for calling me is?" Ed slowly asked._

_Marcoh took a deep breath before continuing, "I propose you as an additional researcher in my team. Grumman permitted it and I had already submitted the document that necessary to my personal courier. It will take three or four days to arrive at your place. You can read it before giving your decision. It’s up to you whether you wanted to join the research or not."_

_Edward took a few seconds before he sighed, "… Okay. I'll check it when it arrived and give my answer as soon as possible. Thank you, Dr. Marcoh.”_

_"You are welcome," Marcoh answered and with that he ended the call._

_~Return to the present time_

Edward had given the answer and Dr. Marcoh has already sent additional documents he needed. In total there were at least 10 research teams involved in the research, consisted of researchers and State Alchemists from Amestris, Creta, Milos, Xing and Aerugo. Drachma was still in a somewhat cold war with Amestris, so none of the Drachman were present. He recognized some of the names listed, even the one from Xing. Seeing who will be involved, he believed this research will be far from 'boring'.

"Have you brought all your documents?" Asked Winry.

"Mmmm ... " Edward  muttered.

"Good. Grandma said she would be back later this afternoon. She asked that everything to be neat before we leave."

"I have locked all the windows upstairs and tidied up our room," said Edward, putting his cutlery in the dishwasher.

"Doors, cabinets ... Well, Den is still asleep. Granny said she would feed him later” she muttered.

”I think that’s all. Let's go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! And sadly a short one. I'm truly amazed by other writers who can write Ed (and both Olivier and Mustang) correctly. I have to read the manga from the start and watch the series again and again, and yet I can't get the right note.
> 
> Oh, yeah. If you are an MCU fan, especially Captain Marvel, you can check out some of my friends' work here:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naypull/pseuds/Naypull
> 
> Every comment and kudos is appreciated! :)


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